Educational Corner: Great White Egret
Photo: © Carol Freeman
A large white heron which can stand over 3 feet tall, the Great White Egret Ardea alba is found across much of the world. It nests in colonies with other species, in shrubs and trees over water, and on islands. Great White Egrets feed in a variety of wetlands, including marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. Its diet includes fish, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds and small mammals. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim, often spearing them with its long, sharp bill.
They place their nests, made of sticks covered with green material, in trees or shrubs in colonies with other herons. Not all young that hatch survive the nestling period. Aggression among nestlings is common and large chicks frequently kill their smaller siblings. Also known as the Great Egret, Common Egret, Large Egret or Great White Heron.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Facts:
• Plume hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced North American populations by more than 95 percent. The populations recovered after the birds were protected by law.
• In 1953, the Great Egret was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers.
